Rotary engine.



PATBNTBD MAR.' 24, 190s.. B. W. GooBY. ROTARY ENGINE.

EPT. 13, 1902 WITH PATENTED MAR. 24, V1903.

E. W. GOQEY. ROTARY ENGINE.

WIFI-NEE. 5 E E.:

` wf @MM PATENTED MAR. 24, *1903.

E. W. COOEY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. `1a, 1902.

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35 y 1 ,y alsozof the end portions `which form the sin- UNiTED STATES PATENT FFICE.

EDWARD W. COOEY, `OF HYDEPARK, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION formingfpart of Letters Patent N o. 723,242, dated March 24, 1903.

l Application iiled September 13,1902. Serial No. 123,308. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: l VBe it known that I, EDWARD W. CooEY, a citizen of the United States of America, re-

i siding at Hydepark, in the county ofi" Norfolk and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful "Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the followin gis a speciiication.

" pistons therefor of that class in which the pistons While revolving around the engineshaft reciprocate in a direction parallel to the axis of the shaft instead of radially thereto, as in the greatmajority of rotary engines; and the improvements consist in a cylinder having an annular steam-chamber withstationary `sinuous side or end Walls, a disk which is secured to the engine-shaft within this chamber` and which divides it into equal portions, the peripheral wall of which chamber is formedgby a cylinder which is secured to or made integral with the periphery of the disk, also in pistons constructed to serve as steamvalves and which reciprocate in radial. slots in the disk and in directions parallel with the axis of the engine-shaft, and,further, in the construction of the hub of the engine-shaft by Whichit serves as asteam cut-off, in connection with a valve which slides longitudinally over it, all of which will be understood from the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section `of the frame and outer casing of the engine,

uous walls of the steam-chamber and of the cylinder and outer portion of the disk of which l y the cylinder forms a part, while the engineshaftandits hub are in elevation. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of-the engine through Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on line 3 3, Fig. 1, through the portion of theengine-hub which containsthe `steam-passages Fig. 4 is an elevation of the end of theengine 'at the right of Fig. l, showing the connections with the slide-valve and the lever by which it is operated. Fig..5 isa greatly-enlarged plan view of, a portionof one of the pistons P viewed l from the side toward the axis of the disk D. `The lower or inner portion of one side of this Figa' isfan enlarged end elevation of the Fig. 7 is Fig.

section on line 8 8, Fig. 9, to show the antifriction ball-bearings for the upper tongue of the piston. Fig. 9 is an enlarged plan view of the same bearings withthe retaining-plate removed.

. Referring to the drawings, A is the outer` cylindrical casing and frame of the engine; B B', uthe ends or heads of steam-chamber, the inner surfaces of which are the counterparts of one another and are so shaped as to form the sinuous annular steam-chamber C, within which the disk D revolves, together with the pistons P, Whichreciprocate in that disk.

D is a' cylinder around the disk D, which may be integral therewith and constitute the web of the cylinder, or it may be secured to its periphery. This cylinder forms the outer limit of. the steam-chamber C.

Upon the engine-hub H, which is keyed to -the shaft S, the disk or web D is mounted,

and it may be a part of the saine casting as the hub. (In Fig. l the diagonal dotted lines b2 h2 indicate the angle at which the inner faces of the heads B B are made to form the sinuous chamber C for the passage of vthe pistons P. As here shown these dotted lines represent the portions of heads uponthe side of the hub H opposite the view point. The portions of the heads B B upon the side from which theengine is here viewed are removed, as heretofore stated. The engine here illustrated is provided with two pistons only; but three or more might be used with a proper arrangement of the steam-passages in the hub and. disk D.

In the surface of the h ub H beneath each piston P a groove h2 is formed longitudinally of thehub and in the saineradial plane. A groove d2 is formed in. the inner surface of the cylinder D', and tongues p' p2 to iit the respective grooves are formed upon the inner and outer edges of the pistons and guide and hold them in place when the disk D revolves and the pistons are caused to slide back and ICO Fig. 5.

forth in the slots in the disk bythe pressure of their ends against the side walls of the chamber C. Each of these pistons is constructed with eight chambersfour in the upper or outer portion a 'n2 nnl, each of which has an opening at the end of the piston, as indicatedr in dotted lines, Fig. l, and at the upper left-hand portion of Fig. 5, and four in the lower or inner portion Z' PZ3 Z4, each of which has an elongated opening along the lower side of the piston-that is, next the hub H, as indicated in the sectional View, Fig. 2, and in plan at the lower portion of The elongated openings in the lower chambers Z Z2 Z3 Z4 register with steam-ports e e' in the bottom of the slots in the disk D which contain the pistons, and these ports e' open from steam-passages ff', which extend longitudinally through the hub I-I and into the smaller portion H of the hub, which may be termed the valve portion.

The chambers in the pistons are connected by steam-passages, as follows: Lower Z is connected with upper n4, lower Z2 with upper n3, lower Z3 with upper n2, and lower Z4 with upper n. It is not practicable to show all of the connecting passages in one view; but in Fig. 5 is illustrated the passages from Z2 to n3 and from Z4 to n. (Indicated by arrows.)

The pistons P'have two packing-pieces p3 at each end, which are hinged to sliding supports p4. These supports are constantly pressed outward by springs p5, and the packing-pieces by springs p6. The pistons may also be provided with antifriction devices, such as steel rolls or balls d3, in endless passages CZ4 along the sides of the ribspz, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and these balls may be held in place by retaining-plates d5. Also the pistons may be provided with a roller p7 at each end to reduce friction, as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. These rollers may also be pressed outward by springs.

In the periphery of the portion H of the hub, sections of spiral grooves g g and g g arecut. In the engine illustrated only two sliding pistons are employed, and therefore only two pairs of spiral-groove sections are needed. When three or more pistons are used, an additional pair of grooves for each should be made in the hub. Around this portion H of the hub is a valve-ring V, adapted to slide longitudinally thereof. This ring is prevented from turning by ribs h3 upon its periphery, which engage grooves t2 upon the inside of the casing. (See Fig. 3.) Around the entire circumference of the ring V is an annular passage o', and upon diametrically opposite sides thereof steam-ports 02.113 are eut through the ring from the passage t. The upper part of the port r2, which is in conjunction with the steam-inlet E, is extended longitudinally to nearly the full length of the ring V, so that some portion of that port will be open to the steam-inlet in whatever position the sliding valve-ring may be. The annular chamber O, between the hub portion H and the casing A', is nearly double the length of the valve-ring V, and diametrically opposite the steam-inlet E a branched exhaust-port I opens from each end of the chamber O.

The two pairs of spirally-cut grooves g g g' g are located in such positions in relation to one another that the steam-ports 'u2 fus of the valve V can admit steam to one pair only of those grooves at the same time and that when the ports v2 v3 are open to one pair of said spiral grooves the other pair of grooves are open to the portion of the chamber O which is beyond the end of the Valve-ring V and from that chamber tc the exhaust-port I.

The valve-ring V may be moved longitudinally over the hub portion H by means of rods K, secured to the ring and extending out through the head B2, where the outer ends are secured to a cross-*bar M, which is connected with a hand-lever N, fulcruined at u. (See Fig. 4:.)

As illustrated in Fig. l, the valve V is in position to admit steam to the pair of grooves g g, from which it flows through passage f within the hubs, as indicated by dotted lines, to one of the ports e in the disk D beneath the piston P. From thence the steam passes into the chamber Z in the lower part of the piston, then by aconnecting-passage to the upper chamber n4, and out into the portion of the steam-chamber C below the piston, where the pressure exerted will cause the pis'- ton to move upward or in the direetion indicated by the large arrow on the disk D-that is, the top of the disk will revolve in a direction opposite to that of the hands of a clock. As the disk D revolves the steam in the portion of the chamber C above the piston will exhaust into the piston-chamber n3, then by lthe connecting-passage to the lower chamber Z2, thence through another steam-passage f' in the hubs (indicated by dotted lines) toa grooveg, and from there into the chamber O, and out at the exhaust-port I, all as indicated by the small arrows. The same operation will go on simultaneously through the piston opposite to the one in View in Fig. 1 and which is shown in section in Fig. 2. The position of the valve-ring V longitudinally of the hub H will determine the time in the revolution of the hub when live steam will be cut off from the grooves g g. With the ring V in the position shown steam will be cut off at about the time that the opening from the groove g to the passage f reaches the port o2, and at the same time the exhaust-steam may pass from vthe passage f to the groove g, whichv is open to the chamber O beyond the end of the valve-rin g V. The rotation of the engine may be reversed by sliding the ring V inward until the ports 'U2 o3 open into the grooves g' g, when live steam will be conducted to the piston P through the passage f and exhausted through the passage f and ICO IIO

grooves g to the outer end of the chamber 0.

When the Valve-ring V is in the middle of the chamber O-that is, with the port v2 directly under the inlet E-steam `will be cut oft from all of the grooves in the hub I-I and the engine will stop.

It will be observed that besides the novel construction of cut-ovalve shown in the valve portion H of the hub the sliding pistons themselves by their novel construction serve as cut-olf valves, also as valves to change the flow of steam periodically from one side to the other of the revolving disk .D, which divides the steam-chamber of the engine into equal parts.

The hub H and the `cylinder D are provided With packing-rings fr r'.

1. In a rotary engine of the type in which the pistons whilerevolving around the engine-shaft reciprocate in a direction parallel with its axis, the combination of a revolving disk within the steam-chamber, a series of y reciprocating pistons supported in the disk,

each of which pistons is chambered to receive steam and act as a cut-off valve, and a pair of steam-ports for each piston Within the disk which communicate with different chambers of the piston when it reciprocates.

2. In a rotary engine of the type described, a sinuous steam-chamber, a rotating cylinder which forms the peripheral limit of that chamber, a central disk web for the cylinder which equally divides the steam-chamber and is provided with steam-passages, a series of sliding chambered pistons supported in the Web, which act as valves to admit steam to and exhaust steam from'the steam-chamber upon opposite sides of each piston and upon alternate sides of the web when the reciprocate.

3. In a rotary engine of the type described provided with reciprocating pistons in its steam-chamber, valve mechanism consisting of a cylinder concentric with the engine-shaft, a pair of spiral-groove sections, in the periphery of the cylinder, for each piston, each of which pairs of spiral sections are respectively connected with a steam-passage leading to one of the pistons, a ring-valve upon the grooved cylinder adapted to slide longitudinally thereof to admit steam to the grooves and regulate the cut-ofic therefrom.

4. In a rotary engine, a shaft portion exterior to the steam-chamber Which is provided With two series of sections of peripheral spiral Ygrooves and interior steam-passages connecting the grooves with the steamchamber, and upon the grooved shaft portion a sliding valve with ports adapted tobbe adjusted to supply steam to either series ot' grooves and cut oi the supply therefrom at any interval of each revolution, and to eX- pistons haust steam from the other series, or to 'close both series simultaneously.

5. In a rotary rengine provided with one or more reciprocating pistons in its steam-chamber, antifriction-bearin gs for the pistons consisting of a series of balls in an endless passage upon the sides of each piston Within the walls of its supporting-groove, and with a portion of each passage open to one of such grooves, substantially as described.

EDWARD W. GOOI-IY.

Witnesses:

REUBEN L. ROBERTS, A. L. ROBINSON. 

